A driver used her vehicle to strike a man who had exited and walked in front of her car during a heated exchange in Monticello, according to the complaint.
Faith Ann Hemmesch, 47, faces a felony charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in a complaint issued Oct. 19 in Wright County District Court.
According to the complaint, deputies from the Wright County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 5:00 p.m. on October 18 to a report of a hit-and-run involving a Ford Fusion and a pedestrian near County Road 39 and Chelsea Road in Monticello. Deputies found the vehicle and identified Faith Ann Hemmesch as the driver. The male passenger, described as the victim, was bleeding from the mouth and had a strong odor of alcoholic beverages.
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The complaint states that Hemmesch was upset and crying when deputies arrived. She told deputies that she had picked up the victim from fishing at the river and that they got into an argument. Hemmesch admitted to hitting the victim, saying he was angry and abusive. She stated that at one point, the victim exited the vehicle, and she struck him with the car.
The victim told deputies that Hemmesch began yelling at him after picking him up. He admitted making derogatory comments that upset her. According to the victim, Hemmesch punched him in the mouth while driving. As Hemmesch turned onto Chelsea Road, the victim opened the door and exited the moving vehicle.
He said Hemmesch stopped the car, and as he tried to cross the street to get away, Hemmesch accelerated toward him, hitting his left leg and knocking him off his feet. The victim reported pain in his left knee and mouth and said he had a previously fractured leg.
Deputies examined the vehicle and found a broken plastic sensor on the lower fender and a small dent on the front passenger side fender. The sensor damage appeared recent, but the timing of the fender dent could not be determined.
Hemmesch later told another deputy that the victim became violent and pushed her in the right shoulder and face while in the vehicle. She said she backhanded him in the face and admitted to “bumping into” him with the car after he exited. In a subsequent statement after a Miranda warning, Hemmesch said the victim punched her in the face five to six times and called her names.
She admitted to backhanding him, causing his lip to bleed, and said she was “so mad” that she “bumped” into him with the vehicle, but claimed she did not intend to hit him, only to scare him. She said she had pain, ear ringing and focus issues from being punched, but a deputy did not see any injuries to her head or face, according to the complaint.
Deputies also spoke with witnesses who reported seeing Hemmesch use the vehicle to strike the victim.
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Jurisdictional Context
Wright County, west of the Twin Cities metro, is served by the Wright County Attorney’s Office through the Tenth Judicial District. Felony cases are heard at the Wright County Government Center in Buffalo.
